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Declutter, Donate and Shop at Goodwill to Give a Fresh Start to Someone in Your Community – By Lorie Marrero

Spring is a time to refresh and renew. With the change in seasons, why not make some changes around the house by decluttering your basement, attic, garage or closet?

When you’re organizing, it can sometimes be difficult to let go and get rid of the things you’ve been holding onto. Here are five tips to make it easier to say goodbye to some of your stuff.

1. Make room for new things by clearing out the old.
   You can’t allow anything new and useful and beautiful to come into your life if you don’t have room for it. So, if your closet is stuffed full of clothes that you don’t wear, or you can’t even see, then you can’t make room for anything new and gorgeous and fun to come into your wardrobe. You have to get rid of the stagnant stuff: Have a flow in and out.

2. Memories of your possessions may no longer be serving you well.
   Some of your possessions have memories associated with them, but perhaps they only remind you of things that are better left in the past. Maybe you have items belonging to your ex-partner that were left behind after a breakup or divorce. It can be very therapeutic to get rid of these items. Maybe you are hanging on to paperwork from an old job that you didn’t like. You may also have pleasant memories of a loved one who passed away and you want to honor that person.  But what you don’t want is their belongings dominating your space, preventing you from moving on to a new chapter in your life. Whatever you keep, make sure the memories are serving you in the right way.

3. Don’t be a slave to possessions that take time and energy to maintain.
   You might want to get rid of things that eat up your time. How much are you dusting and polishing these items? Replacing batteries and parts? Does any of your stuff require care when you go out of town? Time can be a factor to help you decide whether to get rid of something.

4. Fewer possessions simplify your choices and decision making.
   Fewer choices mean easier decisions. So if you’re going to select a pair of shoes, it’s much easier to choose if your collection is smaller. It takes a lot more time to make that decision every morning if you have dozens of pairs. You want your possessions to represent who you are and who you want to be. You want your environment to support your goals moving forward. So if you’re debating about whether to keep certain things, and they’re not meeting those criteria, you should probably let them go.
   

5. “Perfectly useful” possessions may not be perfectly useful to YOU, today.
   This is why I love donating my clothing and household goods to Goodwill. Because I know that, not only is the person purchasing that item going to enjoy it, but the revenue is going directly to create opportunities for someone in my community — my own neighbors. Goodwill provides job placement and training services for people facing challenges to finding employment. And that’s a compelling reason to let go of things that are not useful to me anymore, because I know they’re going to a good home and they’re going to do good in the world.

As you reorganize your closets and refresh your wardrobe this spring, give people in your local community a fresh start by shopping at and donating to Goodwill.

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Lorie Marrero is a home and lifestyle expert and media personality. She is the bestselling author of The Clutter Diet and The Home Office Handbook. She has served as a spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, and for other companies, including Microsoft, Staples, Rubbermaid, ClosetMaid, Brother and Swingline.